By Mary McPhail Gray
NVW Board Chair
As the summer of programming began, the driver of the bus for the Nonviolence Works Familia y Mundo activities commented, “The kids would run—racing each other and fall down on their way into the bus. I would have to reach out and catch one or two and advise them to slow down.” By the end of the program, they “would file in, say hello to me and thank me for driving the bus. Now that I see as progress!”
Little things—noticed by others who care—can give testimony to how youth with behavioral challenges can be changed by programs that invest in their future.
Summer is a time of celebrations . . . for the founding of our country . . . for the memories of D Day in Europe . . . for the Taos Fiesta . . . for the Pueblo Pow Wow . . . for the times that families come together for feasts and barbecues as summer is enjoyed. In many of these events, we look back at memories and look forward to new changes.
At Nonviolence Works, as we move through the summer programs, we notice the way our youth presented themselves as they entered the summer—and the way they ended the school year. And then we plan a variety of individual and group opportunities to make a difference—to support new changes. The freedom to design longer days of activities—swimming and hiking, gardening and playing sports, martial arts and reading, art and meal preparation—help reinforce the counseling in individual and group sessions. [Read more…] about Investing in our Youth
